3. Zeintec
a hardtop manufacturer in switzerland that makes a sleek hatchback design, turning the car into a strange boxster/cayman mutant. i love it, but for $5,000 it's a bit much for me. they've got distributors in the states, so it's the best option so far:

Lot's of folks have the OEM hardtop and I don't think you'll find many complaints.

I know a poster over on PPBB, BruinBro that has the Zeintec and last I saw, he liked it. It is a far more complicated process and involves removing the rear trunk lid and possibly even the top canvas and frame (don't quote me, that may have been done for weight reduction)

In my opinion, if you're gonna spend all the money, time and effort for a Zeintec to make your car look like a Cayman, why not just buy a Cayman?

Lot's of folks have the OEM hardtop and I don't think you'll find many complaints.

I know a poster over on PPBB, BruinBro that has the Zeintec and last I saw, he liked it. It is a far more complicated process and involves removing the rear trunk lid and possibly even the top canvas and frame (don't quote me, that may have been done for weight reduction)

In my opinion, if you're gonna spend all the money, time and effort for a Zeintec to make your car look like a Cayman, why not just buy a Cayman?

Well, I'm not shelling out the $5 grand for the Zeintec so I may be talking through my hat ... but its a great looking top. By buying the Zeintec you get the looks and solid roof of the Cayman all Winter and can have your rag top back in the Summer. Best of both worlds?

FWIW, I've always been a HUGE fan of the Zeintop and, like you, I've always been hugely unimpressed by the OE hardtops.

IF I were ever to get a hard top, it would be the Zeintop for sure. Fit and finish is reputed to be excellent from the small number of people I've talked to that have them (in spite of what some of the complainers about "the lines" and "the body gaps" say--and there are plenty of complainers about the Zeintop haha)

That said, Zeintec does have some "WTF...?"-type and/or outright STUPID products that sorta throw a shadow of questionability on a top-dollar/quality product like the Zeintop.

Not sure why they would resort to something so idiotic as the Zeinvent, but I DO like the Zeinwing product as well. Not sure any of this opinion-chucking I'm doing is helpful at all, but you're not alone out there. I find that second picture from the top place in the UK truly frightening as well.

The Zeintop looks nice, but for 5k is not very practical. I had a hardtop for my car and used it maybe 3 times in the 4+ years I have owned my car. I guess if your car is your daily driver, it would be justified, but then again 5k could buy you a nice beater car...looks good though.

Location: Bavaria - land of Bratwurst, Bier and pedal-to-the-metal Autobahns

Posts: 28

I consider the Boxster Hardtop the best bang-for-the-buck accessory/option I bought with the car. Course, living in Germany, it REALLY comes in handy from November - March (driving, cleaning, garaging...you name it) Besides, I get more oohs and ahs when I have the hardtop on than with the ragtop up (but not more than when the top is DOWN au naturelle ) Besides, for pedal-to-the-metal driving at 220+ kph on the autobahn here, the noise with the ragtop is off-the-top compared to with the hardtop.
Nice engineering on the Zeintop and Zeinwing "hatchback," but you couldn't pay me to don the U.K. version - ugh!